Thirty-Four
Porter
Logan wanted to come back to say goodbye to Ash but I had plans for her, and they weren’t waiting. I told him he could say hello to her in three weeks when we officially moved from the townhouse into a place of our own.
Hopefully three weeks.
I really didn’t want to fly back to Wisconsin for a couple of weeks before heading back down, or, worse, live in a hotel for a few weeks. I did enough sleeping in hotels during the season.
I shot off a text to Nico, who texted me some sick joke or dirty meme daily, as I stepped up to the front of the guest house. I pocketed my phone and pushed through the door.
Asher said she was going to pack.
And she most certainly did that.
The guest house was free of the little things that made it ours over the summer. By the door, ready to be loaded into the car, were her suitcase, my suitcase, and her camera bag.
Her camera bag made me smile.
I was so fucking excited about this big change. Asher with me, every day. It couldn’t get better.
“Hey, Ash?” I called out, closing the door behind me. I had left my hockey gear in the car; didn’t make sense to bring it in, only to bring it back out again when we packed up.
I couldn’t see her, so I walked through the space and toward the bedroom, where I could hear the shower. I walked into the bedroom and to the bathroom door.
She left it cracked, so I pushed it open and stood in the jam.
“Why’re you showering?” I asked.
Asher shrieked, pulling back the shower curtains to look at me. “You scared me!” She held the curtains to her modestly—what she thought she was hiding was beyond me—and her dark hair clung to her tattooed shoulder.
“Why are you showering?” I asked again. “You know you’re going to need another one…”
She rolled her eyes and stepped back into the shower. I grinned as I listened to the water fall around her, heavy splashes indicating she was rinsing out her hair.
“I was dirty. Dusty. From cleaning.”
“I’m dirty. Sweaty. From hockey. Can I join you?”
“I’m almost finished.”
“I can be quick.”
She chortled and I was going to pretend I didn’t know why. I couldn’t help it if I loved when I was seated deep in her, where it was all warm and tight, and her eyes were on mine, the reds dancing among the green and blue…
For not the first time in the last twenty minutes, I was rock hard, but this time I was doing something about it.
Quickly, I stripped from my clothes, leaving them in a pile where I stood and stepped into the shower behind my fiancée.
God, I couldn’t wait to marry her.
She was facing the spray, washing her face, but leaned back into me when I stepped close. I dropped my lips to her shoulder, rubbing them back and forth over the wet skin, and wrapped my arms around her.
“You have a good afternoon?” I asked, before nibbling on her.
Her head tilted to the side and I brought my nipping up her neck slowly, feeling her stomach tighten under my hands. Gliding one hand up, I cupped her breast. Her nipple was rock hard under my sliding thumb.
“Your sister was here.”
I murmured against her, kissing on her skin. I loved the smell of her body wash.
Because oh yeah, that’s right, it was mine.
It gave me a major hard-on to smell my sandalwood scent on her and as it was, I was hard and pulsing at her back.
“We were talking the wedding.”
So fucking excited. I smiled against her neck but continued my nipping and nibbling, moving up to lick the shell of her ear. I pressed open mouth kisses just behind her ear then.
“And then you texted.”
I pulled my lips back, but only so I could lean away from her, pulling her hair off her shoulder and moving it so I could give loving to her other side too. “Yeah. Did you see what I got for you?” I kissed this shoulder as I pressed my hips into her back. I had my curved bar replaced with one with a larger ball at the end, which was supposed to give her more pleasure.
I mean, my girl got plenty of pleasure with it as it was, but I was all about more.
“I didn’t, but Avery did.”
My mouth stilled. Avery did?
Asher pulled away from me and twisted, her face amused, as she trailed her hands up my chest and to my shoulders. “I can laugh about it now, but God, Porter, I was mortified.”
“Avery? Ace saw it?”
Asher nodded, her grin small but clearly entertained. “Yep.” She popped her ‘p’ then pulled her lips in, still nodding.
“Well that’s…”
“Mortifying?”
It was my turn to nod. “Yeah. Little bit.”
“She called us dirty.”
I let go of her so I could pull a hand down my face. “Yeah, well…”
Asher laughed lightly, the husky notes urging me to open my eyes and take her in. She was smiling, her eyes bright, and she was pressed tightly against me.
“I decided I’d rather see the real thing, anyway,” she said, pressing her lips to my chest.
“Not gonna happen with you pressed all up on me like this,” I managed to get out, finally lowering my hand from my face.
Good God, my sister saw my junk.
I mean, we used to bathe with each other, but we were a long way from the six and four-year olds we were back then.
“Tell me what you got me,” Asher whispered. The pounding of the shower nearly drowned out her words. Before I could answer her though, her hand was between our bodies, finding purchase and gripping my cock, hard.
“Yeah. There.”
She laughed again. “I figured as much.” The tight vise of her hand pulled up toward the head and her thumb…
“Fuck, Asher.” I reached out beyond her to press my hand against the tile, needing to hold myself up as her thumb played against my piercing.
“This is my surprise?” Her free hand traveled up my abs, her fingers brushing over my left nipple, immediately zinging shots of electricity through me.
“Yeah, baby,” I croaked out. “That’s it.”
“You like what I’m doing?” she asked, teasing. “Or ‘that’s it,’ as in, that’s my surprise.”
“Don’t play,” I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut and dropping my forehead to hers, even though I knew damn well she’d keep playing. I was powerless in her hands, and fuck if I wanted to be anywhere else.
She knew my pleasure zones, and she played them like a finely tuned fiddle.
But turnabout was fair play.
She’d get hers.
In time.
Just maybe not right now.
“Ash, if you want me coming all over your stomach, then by all means, keep doing what you’re doing,” I threatened but still, I couldn’t manage to open my eyes. Her fingers plucked over my nipple and her other hand continued to play around my piercing, around the lower ridge of my head. “I need…”
Reading my mind, she dropped her hand down my shaft, beginning a tight pulling motion.
“That’s what you need, right?”
“Fuck, yes, Asher.”
I’d let her play.
Yeah, I’d let her play only as long as I was able to handle, because fuck if I was blowing my load all over her stomach. Fuck that shit.
Her hand continued to work me, but thank God, she moved her frisky fingers from my chest, running her nails up my pec and over my shoulder, hooking her hand behind my neck. I brought my lips to hers more than willingly.
My tongue was in her mouth, mimicking what she was doing below. I made love to her mouth as she tried to get me to lose control. I wouldn’t lose control with Asher.
She was the one place I had complete control.
Well, to an extent.
While I had control in the bed with her, I was completely helpless to her in every other aspect in life. I would move heaven and earth just to keep the ghosts from filling her eyes.
It had been a while since I saw them last, and I’d prefer to keep it that way.
Her hand tightened and I knew I wasn’t going to last too much longer. The tingling at the base of my spine was only one small indication.
I took her hips in hand and pulled her back. “Turn,” I demanded, after moving us so the water was pounding at my back.
She smiled impishly at me before doing what I demanded, placing her spread hands on the tile in front of her.
I pulled her hips back, angling her just so, and pressing my lips in a kiss between her shoulder blades. “You good, beautiful?”
“Perfect,” was her breathy reply, and the push back of her hips against my hands worked just as well as her single word.
I bent my knees and within moments, my cock was deep in her heat.
Asher’s moan reverberated around the closed-in space and her head dropped down, the base of her neck completely exposed to me. Starting a slow thrust, drawing out the moans from my beautiful girl, I scraped my teeth along her shoulders, her neck, sucking the smooth skin there too.
“God, Porter,” she bit out. Her arms bent slightly and she put her forehead to the wall, pushing back her hips just enough to change the angle of my cock driving into her.
And the angle was magic.
I thrust back in, and the ball of my piercing hit her just.
Right.
“Porter!” Her arms began shaking. She wasn’t going to be able to hold herself much longer.
I let go of her hips, banding one around her stomach and the other under her arms, over her chest.
“There, baby?” I gave her short little thrusts, hoping I was hitting that magic spot again.
“Yeah. Oh.” Her breathing was labored. I pressed my lips firmly to the base of her neck and watched as her splayed hands curled into fists.
I unwrapped my arm from her chest and took a fist in mine, my palm to the back of her hand. I folded my hand around hers and when she curled her fingers in again, I took all the pressure in my own.
My hips were quick against hers, my thrusts meeting each of her own. I teased her—quick little thrusts with slow drags—loving the sounds she made as I did, even though the slow pulls were for my own fucking sanity. I wouldn’t last long with the little movements in her sweet, tight glove.
“Porter,” she said my name again, this time drawing it out. She was there. She was right there…
I needed a third hand. I wasn’t letting go of her tight vise on my hand. I had to keep her up because I wasn’t letting her fall. Yet I knew with just one flick of the metal over her clit, of just the touch of my finger to the nub itself, she’d be flying.
So I did the next best thing.
I moved my mouth to that spot where her shoulder and neck met, and, after a promising lick, I bit down gently.
And she shattered.
Asher
My body shook, and if it weren’t for Porter’s arms, I’d be puddle on the shower floor.
My legs could barely hold my weight as they shook and my grip around his fingers was painful.
I pulsed around him, his cock feeling even thicker in me as my muscles clenched around him.
“God, I can’t…” he started behind me. My vision was starting to clear, the force of my coming nearly having made me black out. I turned my head against the wall and brought our fists toward my mouth. I didn’t have much energy, but what energy I did have left, I used to bite down around his thumb.
“Fuck, Asher!” His arm around my hips tightened, pulling me impossibly close to him, and I could feel his abs tighten at my back moments before I could feel his hot cum spurt inside me.
“God, I fucking love you,” he groaned out quickly between grunts of pleasure.
I licked at his knuckle before releasing my teeth.
“I fucking love you too,” I managed.
***
We were in bed, even though the sun was still in the sky.
I lay at Porter’s side, my head on his chest while his fingers combed through my still damp hair. We had a movie on, but fuck if I knew what it was about.
All I could focus on was the steady thump of his heart under my ear, and the beautiful gray stone that was in my direct line of sight.
I was going to marry this man.
In a little over a year, I was going to take his last name.
I’d finally have a place—a permanent place—to land.
Propping my chin on his chest, I smiled down at him. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He continued combing through my hair. “What for?”
“Loving me.”
He tugged on my hair. “Always.”
***
My phone went off promptly at three in the morning.
Porter groaned beside me, but did little to stop the terrible noise.
With my eyes still shut, I swung my hand out to silence the alarm.
“We gotta go,” I mumbled, eyes still closed.
“Few minutes.”
“We’ll miss our plane.”
“Take the next one.”
My tired grin was automatic. I turned my head and opened my eyes. Porter was on his stomach, as usual, but his arm was a heavy weight over me.
“We have a meeting with the apartment people,” I said quietly. It felt out of place to speak loudly when the room was so dark.
Everything was quiet.
There weren’t any noises coming from outside the open window behind our bed.
So completely quiet.
So completely still.
Peaceful.
Porter’s grin was slow, but I knew that if he were facing the other direction, that damn dimple of his would be showing. “Fuck, yes.”
His voice was still gritty and low, hardly above a whisper, but his excitement was palpable. Finally, his eyes opened, his clear green ones locked on mine.
“We should get going.” My own words hardly cut through the whispered silence.
“Do we have time…?
I laughed and shook my head, moving to sit up. “No. No, Porter, we do not have time.” I swung my legs out of the bed and stretched my arms up, my spine straight. I jumped ever so slightly when his rough hand slid up my spine. By the time I swung my arms back down, I could feel Porter sitting behind me, his hand having made its way up to my neck.
He squeezed gently and leaned in to kiss my temple.
“Mile high, maybe.”
I scoffed. “Yeah. Okay.” I grinned over my shoulder at him. “You can wait, All-Star.”
Porter groaned playfully and I cut it short by attempting to press my lips to his. As it was, the angle was awkward at best. “Go do your morning business.”
As he got out of bed to do just that, I unplugged my phone from the wall, grabbing the charging cord to place in my bag. The night before, I set out clothes for Porter and myself, putting them on the dresser so everything else could be packed.
Walking there to change, I looked down at my phone, frowning at the sight of a text message. Porter and I went to bed late; this text would have come even later.
Ah, Ryleigh, I thought, seeing her name bolded.
She probably wanted to wish us a safe flight.
I opened it up, expecting certain words, getting them, and more.
Sorry to text so late! You had mail while we were up north. I put it under the mat. Safe flight! You two call when you land. Love you both.
I grinned, shaking my head. I loved that woman.
I changed quickly and was already stuffing my sleep shirt and bike shorts into my checked bag when Porter came out of the bathroom.
“You’re changed already?” he asked through the expanse of the open house.
“We have to go!” I zipped up the bag and, after shouldering my camera bag, popped up the handle on my suitcase. “I’m loading the car.”
“Did you talk to mom about picking it up?’
I looked back and through the bedroom door, caught as Porter pulled on a long-sleeved tee. His abs rippled with the movement and I found my mouth watering.
Good God, that man was mine.
“She knows, but I can shoot her another text,” I managed, pulling my gaze away.
For years, I’d been driving Ryleigh’s convertible when in Beloit. It was a very nice car, but I was looking forward to getting into a normal vehicle in South Carolina.
And I certainly wasn’t using the sales person Porter used for his Benz. I didn’t need a car as fancy as Porter’s.
I mentally groaned. We had so much to do when we got down there.
After bringing my bags out, I crouched by the doormat, lifting it to pull out a business-sized envelope. I stood and headed back inside, mindlessly ripping open the top.
“What’s that?” Porter asked, walking near while buttoning his jeans.
“Your mom texted last night. Mail from when we were up at the lake house.”
Porter popped up the handle to his own suitcase and, after kissing my cheek, brought it outside. I unfolded the letter as I walked toward the kitchen, intending to grab a water. At the top was a header for the company Marie worked for. My eyes dropped to the very bottom.
The letter was from Marie.
I frowned and started from the beginning, the words leaving me cold.
No.
I wasn’t going back.
Not mentally, not physically, and shit, please not emotionally.
My eyes burned but I wasn’t doing it. Wasn’t going to cry.
I heard as Porter walked back into the house and I quickly refolded the letter. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as he neared and gave him a smile.
Forced, but fuck, I hope he didn’t notice.
“Water?” I asked, needing things to be normal. I turned back and slid the letter in the garbage can, opening the fridge to pull out two water bottles before he answered.
I closed the fridge and walked to him, hoping he wouldn’t notice that I left the letter.
I didn’t want it.
I didn’t need it.
I held out the second bottle and he laughed. “Sure, thanks.”
“Ready?”
He reached out and tugged on my long ponytail, drawing my head back. “More than.” And then his lips were on mine, and everything was right again.